“The most important thing to me is the Word of God,” says Cyprus, a graduate of the CARE for AIDS program. “Because through it, I can keep my family together.”

And for a woman who has suffered terrible loss, family is everything.

Cyprus was born in 1978 to a polygamist father with four wives. She was the seventh of eleven children, and, as a young child, life was extremely difficult.

“I tried to brave the situation,” she says, “because it was where God had placed me.”

Her courage and determination led Cyprus to start a small business selling sugar cane, and with the money she earned, she was able to maintain a living. Eventually, she married and had six children but, tragically, only one of them survived. In 2000, Cyprus lost her husband, as well.

“I tried to push on,” she says. “I gained courage, because I was hard-working and wanted to take care of myself and my child.”

Later, Cyprus was blessed with another daughter, but the child’s father abandoned them. Once again, she found herself all alone, struggling to survive.

“I was still working, and I was able to pay my rent and take care of the children’s school fees,” she explains. “But the business collapsed, and all I had left were a number of odd jobs. So I struggled that way.”

Cyprus joined the CARE for AIDS soon after her business went under, and she trusts that even though she has finished the program, there is still so much left for her to accomplish. And so much joy left to be had.

“I got married again,” she says, brightening. “Since I left the program, God has sustained me. From the teachings I learned there, I realized God will help. My eyes have been opened. And I know that He will continue guiding me.”

This Mother's Day you can help support a mother like Cyprus through the CARE for AIDS program. Learn more here.